Printing-press.



R. T. JOHNSTON.

PRINTING PRESS. APPLICATION PILBD DEG 18, 1911.

Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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R. T. JOHNSTON. PRINTING PRESS. APPLIOATION FILED 10110.18. 1911.

Patented Aug. 5,1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

0.. WASHINGTON D c R. T. JOHNSTON.

PRINTING PRESS. APPLICATION FILED "DEC. 18, 1911.

Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

3 HEETSSHEET 3f 65%. mm M m mw IHFIIIW! ROBERT TAYLOR JOHNSTON, 0FSCOTCH PLAINS, NEW JERSEY.

PRINTING-PRESS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, ROBERT TAYLOR JoI-Iwsrow,a citizen of the United States, residing at Scotch Plains, in the countyof Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Printing-Presses, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to printing presses of the bed and cylinder typeand aims in general toward improvements in the construction, operationand efficiency of this type of presses and more particularly toward theprovision of novel inking mechanism and means for operating the same.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide individual inkingmechanisms each adapted to ink a portion only of the printing form andto mount these mechanisms bot-h on the same side of the printingcylinder in such a manner that the inking operations may be performedwith a shorter stroke of the form bed than has heretofore been possiblewith inking mechanisms mounted on one side of the cylinder.

Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved means forraising and lowering the inking rolls of the individual inkingmechanisms in succession at predetermined position of the printing bed,and for retaining each roll in contact with its particular portion ofthe printing form throughout the entire length thereof and forpreventing the rolls from contacting with the other portion of the form.

A. further object of the invention is the provision of adjusting meanscarried by the form bed whereby the roll raising and lowering mechanismsmay be regulated to time the roll movements in conformity with the sizeand character of the particular printing form being used.

Additional objects and many of the advantages of the invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art, as the invention becomes betterunderstood from the following description when considered in connectionwith the accompanying drawings throughout the various views of whichlike reference characters refer to similar parts.

On the drawings-Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a printingpress embodying one form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof,certain portions of the machine being removed to more clearly disclosethe parts located thereunder. Fig.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 18, 1911.

Patented Aug. 5,1913.

Serial No. 666,354.

3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4.. Fig. 4 isa transverse sectional view taken on the line H of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 isa fragmentary detail view showing one of the reciprocatory plates insection and the mechanism for operating the same.

From the drawings it will be observed that upon the main supportingframe 6 of the machine is mounted the impression cylinder 7 and thereciprocatory form bed 8, the impression cylinder and bed being rotatedand reciprocated respectively in the usual manner by any preferreddriving mechanism (not shown). The reciprocatory bed carries theprinting form which, in accordance with the requirements of the workdone on machines of this character is divided by a central margin 9 intoa head portion 11 and a tail portion 12, respectively. The individualportions of the printing form may be of any preferred constructionalthough customarily they are made up of a number of individual sectionseach provided with suitable printing characters or surfaces.

In order to reduce the length of stroke of the bed, thereby reducing thesize of the impression cylinder and other machine parts and increasingthe output of the machine 1 mount and operate the inking rolls in such amanner that the entire form is completely and uniformly inked withoutpassing the full length of the form under all the inking rolls as hasbeen customary heretofore in the operation of machines in which theinking rolls are all located at one side of the cylinder. To this end Ihave divided the inking rolls into sets each adapted to ink a port-ionof the form, the set 13 nearest the impression cylinder, and hereafterreferred to as the head mechanism, being designed to ink the headportion 11 of the form and the other set 14 more remote from theimpression cylinder and hereafter referred to as the tail mechanismbeing adapted toink the tail portion 12 of the form. The head mechanismcomprises the inking rolls 15 and 16 normally contacting with thedistributing roll 17 which is driven from the rack 18, carried by theform bed, through the intermediary of a gear 19. The tail mechanismcomprises the inking rolls 22 normally contacting with the distributingroll 23 which,

in turn, is also rotated from the rack 18' through the intermediary ofthe gear wheel 24. The distributing rolls 17 and 23 are gin 9 throughthe shafts 37 which are oscillated by their respective followers 46 asthe risers 32 engage therewith. IVhen the bed has traveled asufficientdistance to pass the head portion of the form entirely underboth rolls 15 and 16, reversal of the bed takes place. It will thus beobvious that the travel of the bed is materially reduced over the travelin those machines so constructed that the entire printing form must bepassed under all of the inking rolls of the entire inking mechanism.Upon reversal of the bed the rolls of the head mechanism aresuccessively raised as the head portion of the form travels out fromunder them and the rolls of the tail mechanism are successively loweredinto engagement with the tail portion as the head portion is withdrawnfrom under them. Thus it will be seen that the individual inking rollsof both the head and tail inking mechanisms are successively raised andlowered as the bed reciprocates to maintain contact between the rollsand their respective portions of the form and prevent contact with theother portion of the form.

Since the position of the head line of all forms employed remains fixedrelatively to a predetermined point on the periphery of the impressioncylinder, it will be manifest that the position of the central margin 9will necessarily vary in forms of different sizes. In order that the cammembers may be simultaneously adjusted on the bed to correspond with theposition of the central margin and thereby insure the proper timing ofthe raising and lowering movements of the inking rolls, I have provideda cross adjusting shaft 57 mounted on the bed of the machine andprovided at its ends with gear wheels 58 and 59, meshing with racks 61and 62 respectively formed on the cam members 25 and 26. By rotatingthis shaft the cam members may be adjusted simultaneously and in unisonlongitudinally of the bed to bring the riser portions of the cams intoproper position relatively to the central margin of any form being used.A set-screw 63 threaded through one of the bearings of the shaft 57 isadapted to lock the shaft against rotation after the cam members havebeen adjusted to the required position and one end of the shaft 57 ispreferably squared as shown at 6 to receive a handle by which theadjusting movements may be effected.

It is believed that my invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing without further description and,while I have shown and described that practical embodiment of myinvention which at the present time seems to be preferable, it will beobvious that various mechanical changes in the construction of thevarious parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit ofthe invention or sacrificing any. of the material advantages thereof.

I claim:

1. In a printing press, the combination of a reciprocatory bed, aplurality of inking rolls, independent mechanisms at each side of thebed adapted to simultaneously elevate both ends of the rolls, and meansmounted on the bed and connected to simultaneously adjust saidmechanisms whereby the raising of the rolls may be hastened orretarded'relatively to a predetermined position of the bed.

2. In a printing press, the combination of a reciprocatory bed, cammechanism carried by said bed, a plurality of inking rolls, meansadapted to be operated by said cam mechanism for raising and loweringsaid rolls at predetermined positions of the bed, and a single adjustingmeans mounted on the bed whereby the cam mechanism may be adjusted tohasten or retard the raising and lowering movements of all of the rolls.

3. In a printing press, the combination of a reciprocatory bed, a cammounted on each side of said bed, an inking roll, a plurality of platesupon which said inking roll is mounted, operative connections betweensaid plates and said cams whereby the roll is raised and lowered uponreciprocation of the bed, and means mounted on the bed forsimultaneously adjusting the position of said cams to hasten or retardthe raising and lowering movements of said roll.

4. In a printing press, the combination of a reciprocatory bed, camscarried on each side of the bed, a plurality of inking rolls, raisingand lowering mechanism connected with each of said rolls and adapted tobe operated by said cams to raise and lower said rolls in succession atpredetermined positions of the bed, and an adjusting mechanism carriedon the bed whereby the cams may be synchronously adjusted to hasten orretard said raising and lowering movements of the rolls.

5. In a printing press, the combination of a reciprocatory bed, camsadjustably mounted on each side of the bed, inking rolls, reciprocatoryplates upon which said rolls are mounted, means including a rack andpinion for operatively connecting said plates with said cams whereby therolls are raised and lowered from the cams at predetermined positions ofthe bed, and adjusting mechanism whereby the position of the cams on thebed may be varied to hasten or retard the times at which the rolls areraised and lowered.

6. In a printing press, the combination of the main frame of themachine, a reciprocatory bed, a pair of cam members adjustably connectedwith said bed, a plurality of inking rolls, a pair of plates for eachroll, sockets mounted on said plates and supporting the rolls,oscillatory members mounted on the frame and connected with said platesfor imparting a right line movement thereto, cam followers fixed on saidoscillatory devices and adapted to be actuated by said cam members forimparting right line rais ing and lowering movements to said rolls insuccession upon reciprocation of the bed, and mechanism connected Withboth of said cams whereby the cams may be adjusted and maintained inpredetermined relation.

7. In a printing press, the combination of a reciprocatory bed, cammembers adjustably mounted thereon to reciprocate there- With, inkingrolls, mechanism adapted to be 1 operated from said cam members to raiseand lower said rolls in succession upon reciprocation of the bed, racksformed on said cam members, an adjusting shaft eXtending transversely ofthe machine, and pinions 011 said shaft meshing- With said racks Wherebyupon rotation of the shaft said cam members may be adjustedlongitudinally of the bed.

ROBERT TAYLOR JOHNSTON. W itnesses IRA J. WILSON, M. A. KIDDIE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 1). C.

